13 minutes agoValley Albanians split in Serbia's elections
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)Divided and uncoordinated, Albanians from the Presevo Valley will compete in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia, expected to be held on April 3rd. Albanian parties will compete with two lists: The coalition of the United Albanians and the Albanian Democratic Alternative with a total of 20 candidates. Because of political differences, they [...]
Divided and uncoordinated, Albanians from the Presevo Valley will compete in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia, expected to be held on April 3rd.
Albanian parties will compete with two lists: The coalition of the United Albanians and the Albanian Democratic Alternative with a total of 20 candidates.
Because of political differences, they say they have failed to agree on a common list, just as in the 2020 elections, when the Albanians of the Valley have united for the first time and won three seats in Serbia's Assembly.
The coalition of United Albanians, the owner of the list, has current MP, Shaip Kamberi. He tells Radio Free Europe that the list he leads consists of three Albanian parties and that there are ten candidates.
Kamberi, who has sometimes come to the spotlight for speeches before Serbia's Parliament, says it aims to continue pressure on Serbia's authorities for, as it puts it, improving the position of Albanians in the Valley.
The residently Albanian valley, located in southern Serbia, makes up: Medveja, Presevo and Bujanocy.
Albanians there complain, now and for how long, of making their addresses and disrespecting the rights of officials.
In a speech before Serbia's Assembly in 2020, Kamberi has criticised the low turnout of minorities in the legislature, saying that among the 250 deputies, only six are from minority communities.
“Such a wherever could not produce [former Serbian president] Slobodan Milosevic”, said that Kamber world.
Official Belgrade, in general, has not commented on the question of passive display of addresses.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe, Kamberi says that, as representative of Albanians in the Valley, he has managed to relate the problems they face.
“The autocratic government of [Serbia President Aleksandar] Vucin has shown no will at any time to sit down with us and discuss these problems. We must continue with the same pressure of presenting problems”, Kamberi says.
He adds that his list aims to win at least two seats in the April elections.
On the list guided by him are: The Party for Democratic Action (PVD), the Democratic Party (PD) and the Democratic Progress Movement (LPD).
Next Albanian list aimed at Serbia's Parliament
The other list, the Albanian Democratic Alternative, is led by Albania Arifi, and also has ten candidates.
This time, because Albanians I think our list can win at least one MP”, Arben Pajaziti, who heads the Alternative Party for Change in Bujanoc, tells Radio Free Europe.
The number of Albanians in the Presevo Valley is not clear, and therefore neither of voters, as they have refused population registration since 2001.
But, based on an assessment by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE), made in 2015, there are about 70 thousand Albanian residents registered in Presevo, Bujanoc and Medvedja.
Of them, according to nongovernmental organisations and political subjects from Presevo Valley, about 20,000 citizens have migrated to Kosovo for various reasons.
Without Strategy for a Joint Albanian List
In the resulting composition of Serbia's Parliament, there have been three Albanian deputies who have won the mandate, having competed with a joint list formed at the initiative of the Government of Albania.
Belgzim Kamberi, from the Commission for Human Rights in Presevo, says the participation of Albanians in the April elections in Serbia is very important, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
EU officials have warned that the war in Ukraine could also have an impact on the Western Balkan region.
Albania's <x0). The participation is important, since only thus can the problems of Albanians in the Presevo Valley in central institutions be presented... even though this is very difficult with this Serbia, which is built without any kind of positive discrimination for representation of minorities in the Assembly and in Government”, Kamberi says.
Government Without Answers to Maintaining Serbia's Kosovo Elections
In Kosovo, it is not yet clear whether to be kept Serbia's election.
On January 16th, Serbia has held one referendum For judicial issues and the Government of Kosovo has not allowed the opening of deployments to Serb-run settlements in Kosovo.
The government has said the world that Serbian citizens, who have Serbia's citizenship, can vote through Serbia's post and liaison office in Kosovo and have warned similar practices for the April elections.
However, Mimoza Kusari Lila, chief of the ruling party's Parliamentary Group, the Vetevendosje Movement, said on Monday that Kosovo would consider the possibility of holding Serbian elections if official Belgrade submits requests to the Government of Kosovo.
The international community has repeatedly called on Kosovo to allow the organisation of Serbia's elections.
Such a call has been repeated by Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Berbock, Last week in Pristina, saying Kosovo and Serbia should find ways to hold elections.
The last parliamentary elections, which Serbia has held even in Kosovo's majority Serb municipalities, have been those on 21 June, 2020.
Albert Krasniqi, from Democracy Plus organisation (D+), says Kosovo has so far allowed Serbia's elections to be held due to international demands.
According to him, if Kosovo is willing to allow these elections, an agreement would have to be made between the two countries through which Serbia would declare that voters voting in Kosovo are considered voters outside Serbia.
“In this agreement, very clearly it would be determined that Serbia considers the Serbian elections in Kosovo as elections abroad... That would be the only way, according to which Kosovo could allow the holding of Serbian elections on its” territory, Krasniqi says.
Serbia, since Kosovo's February 2008 declaration of independence, has held several parties in Kosovo.
O The SEU, for years, has garnered votes after the closure of polling stations, which have later been counted in the Rask and Vranje two border towns of Serbia.
The OSCE has told Free Europe Radio that they are willing to collect votes even for the April elections, but with the consent of all relevant institutions. / REL
